


Jormungand

by archangelgabriel



Category: Marvel (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 06:17:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/671232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archangelgabriel/pseuds/archangelgabriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor is summoned to Loki's room, Loki, who has confined himself to solitude the last four months.  There he finds out that Loki once more carries a monster inside him, and it's killing him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jormungand

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize before any in corrections to the actual myths, just went along with what wikipedia offered. Originally posted at one of my old Livejournals under the name of Gabriel_manic.

Loki had never, ever summoned Thor to his room. Or summoned and summoned, Thor had been enjoying the lovely day outside to polish his helmet in the sun and had gotten a small rock thrown at his head with a piece of parchment around it.

Thor knew that his brother liked to be alone sometimes months at a time and locked himself up in his room, much like he had done just now. No one had seen a single trace of his magic anywhere around Asgard for what had to be four months and no one was really missing it to be honest. Even Thor himself enjoyed the calm it brought along. He had just learned himself to take a bite of an apple and trusting it to be ripe in the middle again.

With Loki around if he saw you, the apple turned rotten nine times out of ten and he would laugh in the distance.

No one ever found out what Loki did up in his room, because there had never been able to pull any answers out of him. As a matter of fact it seemed that he had turned himself completely deaf to the questions and wouldn’t even tell their father which didn’t always bring along the finest of consequences.

The very cramped, small, right slanted handwriting gave a very untidy impression, as if it had been written in haste. His brother usually took his time writing and wrote with patience bigger than the monks. It was written very simply, and just said that he had to be present in his room when everyone was sleeping, before the change of the guards.

Very well, thought Thor and looked up to the window where Loki must have tossed out the rock from the room that had the beautiful view of the bifrost. Thor didn’t give that very much more thought into it and continued to polish his helmet.

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Thor attended to dinner with Fandral that evening and enjoyed himself thoroughly. Fandral had been out for a hunting trip out on the country and had just returned with boars to the delight of Volstagg. They parted as the sun was setting and headed to their own rooms.

It was too early to head over to Loki’s room, there were still people laughing outside. Thor unfolded the piece of parchment once more and laid down on his bed. There was this feeling that told Thor, Loki hadn’t shared everything with his brother. Which in its own was not such a miracle, Loki had always seen that as an advantage over the enemy.

It made him wonder if Loki considered him as an enemy, or if he was just playing one of his many games once more. Thor decided that his brother was not playing a game on him, he decided upon that Loki just needed someone’s help for a moment. Some help that no servant would do good for and Thor was the least likely to ask questions. Thor trusted Loki, which perhaps was in its own, a foolish thing to do.

The sun set, the lights were put on and the colors of the bifrost reflected itself on the many walls of Asgard. When the garden outside of Thor’s window had fallen silent from Fandral’s laughter and the giggles of the maiden he had found for the evening went quit, Thor decided that now was the moment to leave.

Thor left his cape on his bed which seemed untouched and Mjolnir next to the newly polished helmet. He walked through the corridors, meeting no one on his way. The guards were starting to move out of their solid frozen posture and started brief conversations with one another upon awaiting the sound of the bells that would signal their leave, informing them that others were on their way.

Why his father had decided it to be like that, Thor did not know. It gave a far too big gap in their security that something could slip by it. Even if Heimdall saw the most, he was an old man by now, and with age you started to miss out on the minor important details.

The doors that lead into Loki’s room was decorated with the silver three of Yggdrasil, which Loki had spent many months studying when they were children with the help of the books that their father had.

Just for a short moment, Thor hesitated to knock on the door with the silver decorations. It wouldn’t be the first occasion where he had opened a door to the room where his brother was present in, just to get something thrown to him that would blast him of his feet before he even knew something was thrown to him. Only to hear Loki murmur ‘Not strong enough’ or ‘calmer blast’ and step past him.

It could be that it was the reason why Loki had wished to see him so specifically at the evening, just before the change of the guards. There would be little to no attention to any blasts or sudden veils of smoke and Loki would be able to continue once more in peace. Loki had always been very clear with the statement that he wanted to be left alone.

Thor ignored the thoughts of suspicion, his brother would mean him no harm. And with that, Thor knocked three times on the door. Once to announce his arrival, a second time to announce that he soon would enter and a third time to announce that it was him, Thor, his brother.

It was a manner that had grown on to them when they still were children, up in the age of inventing their own languages. While Loki had actually made an alphabet for the two of them, Thor had just stayed by the simple matters and stayed with knocks much to his brother’s annoyance, who had put so much effort into it.

His hand lowered from one of Yggdrasil’s branches where he had knocked, down to the silver handle and pressed it down. Thor pushed the heavy doors open with the help of his shoulder, there was no need to wait for an approval to enter. Loki had gotten the three knocks and he didn’t not need more. However once Thor finally laid his eyes on his brother for the first time in months, he got in such a state of shock that he could not speak nor think, and to reflect his inner stupidity and amazement, his jaw dropped.

The reason why Loki had defined himself to solitude the last four months got very clear in just one glance. Loki had seated himself in the middle of his four-poster bed and was leaning to it. Dressed in his normal attire of black and green, hands both placed on the mattress at either side of him. His head hung low, as if he had fallen asleep in that position, Thor did not even have to see all of his brother’s facial features to know that he was in pain. A pain that came from a far too obvious and almost sickening source.

Four months ago his brother had been slender, a body type much similar to Thor’s own without all of the brute force that he packed. But now, now Loki was round. Loki was just as round as if he had been seated at the right side of Volstagg for the past four months and had eaten the same amounts of food as he had done. But that it only had stayed by his stomach. If one managed to look past it, Loki seemed identically the same to how he had done before his sudden choice to isolation.

Except, when Thor looked closer he doubted that his brother had been alone. Something pushed from the inside, making Loki’s belly turn more to the left, Loki’s expression turned to a more painful one. Whatever it had been that had pushed his brother from the inside, moved around in such a manner that Thor could follow ever single movement.

Loki’s expression turned back to the closest Thor could call normal, his brother panted, eyes still closed and his skin was glimmering with the colors of the bifrost bridge just outside of his window. His brother looked so worn out, as if he had been going through this for hours, making it very clear to Thor’s mind that… that something had been moving around in his brother like that when he had written the note.

Loki’s head rolled back against the dark wood of his bed almost as if he would faint and sank down a bit deeper onto it, as if he couldn’t keep himself seated in that same position any longer from before. Thor watched, unsure of what to do, unsure if he should feel sickened by the sight in front of him, or fascinated.

Loki swallowed and then opened both of his eyes to look at Thor. The heavy door had fallen shut behind him, but Thor had not taken notice of this. “Why so surprised, brother.” Loki smirked as if he had no troubles in the world, yet he had struggled to speak out the last word. Thor finally felt that he could move his limbs again, his mind slowly started working again and he could finally take in what he was seeing. However each time Thor saw that thing move inside or Loki, it slowed down once more.

“What have you done?” Those words were spoken much more easily then Thor had dared to dream of, it was as if they had just been waiting to be spoken and as soon as he had opened his mouth to actually make a sound, it had leaped right of his tongue.

Loki gave a hoarse laughter and closed his eyes again, his chest moved up and down quickly, the grin was still there and Loki seemed, oddly pleased with himself. “Angrboda.” Loki swallowed again, Thor did not need to know more, and he directly knew what his brother had done to himself.

The stories of Loki with the Giantess Angrboda were far too well known in Asgard. The story of Loki and the giantess were told in all the realms a couple of centuries ago. How Loki had gotten far too friendly with her and how Loki disappeared of to Jotunnheim for two years. Odin had heard the stories that were scattered around the realm of this, and had gone to return Loki home that instant. Except Angrboda and Loki had already helped Hel into their realm.

Odin had been furious at Loki, and Thor could not recall a moment in the entire Asgardian history where his father had been like that. Odin had taken Hel away from Angrboda and had thrown her down to Niflheim, making her the ruler of the realm. Loki had been furious at his father, however he had been pleased at the same time. His firstborn daughter was given a realm to rule, as if he had expected nothing less.

Loki had told Thor, many years later that it was in fact he who had carried Hel, not Angrboda like everyone told. Thor had not questioned or asked anything about that matter, much like their father he didn’t want to recall that moment in their lives. He did not want to know how Loki had been able to carry Hel, Thor didn’t even want to create the mental image. But now he just had, he had to think of Hel when he saw that thing move inside of his brother, which made Loki wince and once more turn into a painful expression.

“Father is going to be furious!” Thor spoke, moving to the side of the bed and pulled one of the chairs to it so he could sit down. It pushed again, this time towards Thor who felt the sickness return. Loki pressed his eyes closed and gripped his sheets in such a tight matter that his knuckles turned white.

“So let him be.” Loki breathed again and looked down to his stomach, it almost seemed as if whatever was inside of him was moving over itself, leaving odd ripples and shapes on his stomach. Loki laughed, as if he found it the most fantastic thing in their realm, Thor thought that his brother must have lost his mind.

Thor looked back to the movements of the thing, surely this couldn’t be a creature like Hel, whatever it was, this seemed to be a lot more smoother. “Brother.” Loki spoke again, sounding forced once more. “I need you to gather your fastest horse, ride me out of Asgard and into the forests.” Thor opened his mouth to speak once more and tore his eyes of the sickening movements by Loki’s stomach.

“Now!” Loki spoke so loud and clearly, with a force that Thor thought his brother would not be capable of in such state. He scrambled to his feet and ran over to the doors, slamming into them. Just when he pulled one of them open Loki spoke up once more. “The box, take the box along. I will come down after you brother, do not keep me waiting.”

Thor looked to his left, where there was a wooden box placed on the table and grabbed it, stuffed it under his arm and ran down the long corridor. Thor had never occurred any problems with disobeying his brother, but now he wouldn’t even dare to consider the matter. Thor ran out to the courtyard, stopping his quick pace abruptly as he met two maidens.

He had smiled to them, hid the box behind his back and bowed slightly before passing them by and continued his race to the stables. Thor saddled his fastest horse just like Loki had commanded him and tied the box on its back. It was too far for Loki to walk all the way to the stables, Thor wasn’t even sure of how far his brother would be able to walk in such condition.

Mounting the horse, Thor lead it to the courtyard he had left barely minutes before. His palms were sticky from the sweat, there was a dashing pain in his ribs from running and he felt that for the first time in his life, he was absolutely terrified of what lied ahead of them.

Loki was waiting for him at the entrance to the building. He was leaning against one of the many pillars, cheeks flushed with a light pink tinge and one hand pressed by his stomach, which he had neatly covered up with his black winter robes. Most of it remained hidden and Thor didn’t even see the pushes it would occasionally give any longer.

But there was no doubt that Loki felt them, even if his cheeks were tinged with the light pink shade, the rest of his face was so pale he could be compared to snow. And Thor had never heard his brother whimper up until that day. Loki seemed to catch his breath and looked up to Thor on his stallion, keeping the hand on his side.

“Well, help me up. I cannot get up on my own like this.” Thor felt remarkably stupid upon hearing those words. He untied the box from the horses back and for the moment let it hang by the saddle so he could help his brother up behind him. Thor slid of the horse and helped his brother up, yet he could not help but wonder how all of this would end up. He did not want to be a part of Loki’s next plan, he did not want to disobey his father. But he had to go along with it seemingly.

Loki managed to get up on the horse, and Thor’s next worry was how he would return back up in the saddle without giving his brother a kick, which he doubted Loki would appreciate right now. Once he was seated again, Thor handed the box back to Loki so he could tie it behind of him instead, so it would not hurt the stallion when they ran.

“Now.” Loki moved uncomfortably close, Thor could feel the thing which he was sure of was a monster, move inside of Loki against his back. A feeling that made him want to squirm away and further up the saddle, a movement and desire that Loki quickly stopped by moving his arms around his brothers waist.

“When the bells ring, and the change of the guards is announced.” Loki whispered into Thor’s ear, a feeling that gave him just as many chills as the movement of the monster inside of him. “You will ride past the gates and set direction for the forest, at full speed, do you understand?” Thor swallowed, yet his mouth felt entirely dry. He nodded. “Good.”

The change of guards was announced barely some minutes later, which had passed by so slowly that Thor wondered if the time passed at all. Occasionally the monster would move against his back, and Loki would groan after words. Through all the minutes that he was waiting, Thor tried to talk himself into the very simple fact that Loki had it worse. Loki had it a lot worse than he was having it at this moment. His brother had lived with that thing inside of him for months.

Urging the stallion on, they shot through the gates before the guards of the night had arrived. Thor had tried to keep the start gentle at first, he did not want to add more pain to Loki then he was already going through. Loki never told Thor to slow down, Loki kept the same grip around Thor as he had gotten when they first ran off with the Stallion.

They ran past many deer and boars, it seemed like the perfect evening to hunt, but Thor couldn’t even see the animals past them. All he could see was the path ahead of them as they rode, deeper and deeper into the forest, the path getting smaller until it eventually ended and they just ran through the forest. The beautiful coat of the Stallion was soaked with sweat, glimmering in the moonlight as it pushed itself further until Loki would announce its stop.

Loki gasped out, there was a hard push in Thor’s back which shocked him so much that he brought the stallion to an abrupt stop. The Stallion shrieked and backed to stand on its hind legs, the wooden box fell off the horse to the ground and even Loki slipped back some before the horse stood on all four legs again, desperate to catch its own breath again.

Loki let go of Thor and slid of the horse to the ground, directly sinking through his legs so he fell onto the grass and writhed around. The stallion made the movements to run off again and Thor had to pull hard at the reins to keep the horse where it was. Loki tugged of his winter robes over his head and panted as he looked to his stomach, which was moving much more than previously at his room.

Thor dismounted the horse, who directly shot a few feet ahead of them before it came to a halt. Loki knelt down next to his brother who was now pulling up his shirt so one could see the skin on his stomach which was bruised, blue marks where everywhere for as far as Thor could see and he dared not to touch the marks, as if the monster inside of his brother would spring out from one of those marks.

“The box!” Loki called out to him as he struggled to move further up so he was leaning against a tree, panting heavily, groaning more often. It took Thor some moments to realize what his brother had asked him to and pulled the fallen box over to them. He flipped of the lid to it and pulled out the bag his brother had stuffed in there. Surely he must have put something in there.

“Get out the knife.” Loki hissed between his teeth, one hand frantically searching for something to hold on and found Thor’s shirt. His other hand was pressed against his stomach once more, as if he tried to push back the pushes he was getting from inside. The monster flipped over inside of him by the looks of it and Loki gasped out in pain.

“What do I do with this?” Thor asked Loki, it did not even occur to him that he had not spoken since they had left Loki’s room, the panic was rising as he held the knife with his hand. Loki gave him no answer. “Loki!” Thor said louder and grabbed his brothers shoulder.

“You cut it out you bigheaded buffoon!” Loki snapped. “Cut it out or it will eat me from inside!” Thor looked from his brother, to the knife, then finally rested his eyes on his moving stomach. Every limb refused to move and Thor’s mind once more found itself blocked. All he could hear was Loki’s panting and groaning.

“Thor, now!” Loki yelled at his brother. It did not occur to Thor that he had been called by his name for the first time that evening, yet it seemed as if it was the necessary word to make him move. He pointed the blade at his brothers side and pushed it in until his skin had reached the handle. Loki screamed, Loki screamed and Thor was sure that the birds were now leaving the trees in fear.

Unknowing of what to do next, he let the knife remain as he tried to get over the shock that he had just cut his brother. Loki grabbed Thor’s wrist, directing the knife up towards his ribs. His side was quickly covered in blood, disappearing once more in the dark grass. Thor extracted the knife, it’s previously silver blade now covered in the dark liquid. Loki seemed to find it easier to breathe now.

“Take it out! Take it out!” Thor did not miss the panicked tone his brother now had, he hesitated, but did as he had been told and stuck his hand in the wound, forcing its way in. Loki’s insides were warm, almost beating at a regular tempo. He could feel the blood of his brother flow down his arm until it eventually dripped down, onto his trousers and watched the red spot get bigger for every drop.

Loki squirmed, he couldn’t keep still. He groaned out of pain nonstop and pressed his hand against his side, as if he wanted to force the thing out of him. The thing that Thor was supposed to grab, but he hadn’t the slightest idea what he was supposed to look for. Thor didn’t know what the thing looked like, or felt like, how could he be sure he wouldn’t rip out Loki’s liver?

“Hurry up.” Loki murmured through clenched teeth, he was becoming as pale as snow again, his eyes seemed to be covered in a veil, as if he didn’t see what was happening around him, Thor wasn’t even sure that he felt all of the pain any longer. His brother had lost to much blood to still be by his right mind.

Then he felt something that was not supposed to be there, it felt cold and wriggled much in the same way that Loki’s stomach displayed. Thor laid his fingers around it, he did not want it to slide out of his grip, and pulled it back with all of his might.

Loki gasped and came up to a sitting position, both hands moving to the cut that Thor had given him. Thor lost his balance and fell back in the grass, hand still clenched at the thing he had pulled out of his brother and for the first time got a good glance of it.

Colored in blue and green, blood still dripping of it, Thor found himself holding a snake. A snake who hissed furiously at both of them and tried to squirm out of Thor’s grip. Loki fell back to the position he had been lying in with a sigh, eyes falling closed, breathing easing and both hands still on the cut. The snake lunged for an attack towards Thor, resulting him to drop it onto the ground.

It hissed once more, flashing it’s small white teeth to Thor before it tried to make its escape. Thor, knowing much how the mind of his brother worked, grabbed the now empty box and flipped it over, before trapping the snake in it. Loki would not go through all of this to just let the snake get away again. It hissed, as if it became even more furious now and slammed itself against the box. Removing his hands carefully, the snake slammed its tail to the box as well, but it did not move, so he returned to his brother who was breathing weakly.

“Loki.” Thor moved his hand into Loki’s damp hair to the back of his head to pull him into a more sitting position, leaning the body against his knee. “Loki wake up!” Thor urged and shook the lifeless body. Loki just murmured some and shifted away from Thor, falling to his side and removed his hand from the cut, showing the nine inch cut that Thor had been forced to make. The bleeding had eased, but every inch of skin of Loki was pale.

“Give me the bag brother.” Loki managed to pull himself up some more, Thor nodded and grabbed the bag, handing it over to him. Loki moved his hands lazily into it, extracting some threads and a needle. “Collect your horse, we will be leaving soon.”

Thor looked over his shoulder, finding that the Stallion had wandered off. One glance back to Loki told him that his brother was awake and would remain awake for a while longer. So Thor stood up to find his Stallion, walking past the box with the hissing snake in it.

The Stallion had not wandered of that far away, its beautiful coat no longer soaked in sweat. Thor approached it, took the reins and lead it back to where he had left Loki. Loki had dressed himself back into his winter robes and sat in front of the box which he had turned around, looking at the snake full of admiration.

“Angrboda would have assisted me.” Loki spoke up as Thor approached with the stallion. “I did not expect it to be this soon.” Loki shut the box with the lid, enclosing the snake in darkness and stood up on shaking legs. His hands were still covered in his own blood but Loki seemed not to care. “Let’s go home brother.”

Thor had to help his brother once more up on the horse, and tied the box behind him. Getting up on the Stallion himself, Loki once more put his arms around him and leaned his body towards Thor’s back, cheek against his shoulder, the breathing that caressed his neck.

“There is no need to be in a hurry now Thor, as long as we are back for the change of morning guards.” Loki spoke softly, sounding completely drained. Thor did not blame him, he to felt the pain in his muscles appear now from their night.

Thor let the horse just walk them back to Asgard, he did not want to race against the time once more, and Loki seemed to have fallen asleep behind him. The snake in the box had fallen silent. They reached back to Asgard just before the sunrise and did not have to wait very long for the change of guards.

Thor dropped Loki of by the entrance to his quarters along with the box, the otherwise so neat green shirt was soaked with his blood, sticking by his side. At least Loki seemed to have gotten some more color in his face. Thor returned the horse back to the stables and went to find Loki who had left. But Thor found his brother once more in the hallway leading to his room.

Thor took the box from his brother and held it with one arm, the other one sliding around Loki’s waist to steady him, he did not care that his hand would get red from the blood once more. Loki did not speak, yet Thor knew that his brother appreciated the assistance, he could barely walk on his own.

Loki opened the doors to his room and gestured for Thor to put the box on the table as he pulled of his winter robes. Thor did as he was told, while his brother dropped the robes to the floor and passed by him. “Father is going to be furious.” Thor told him once more, Loki shrugged in such a lighthearted manner and removed the lid of the box.

“Then let him be.” Loki repeated, smiling lightly to himself and carefully took out the snake from the box, walked past Thor and put it in the glass cage that he was sure his brother had a more fancy name for.

“What do you think of Jormundgand brother?” Loki asked and shut the glass cage. Thor looked back to the snake, trying to imagine it with a name, but he still considered it to be a monster. A monster that had grown inside of his brother.

“If you wish to call it that.” Thor spoke and looked to his brother, who was now pulling the green shirt over his head. Thor saw the cut that he had made hours before, it was no longer bleeding, but the stitches that his brother had made were too big and sloppily made. “How did you..?” Thor asked before he caught himself thinking the matter. He had not wished to know how his brother had carried Hel, but now, after having witnessed the birth of that snake, Jormungand, he did find himself rather curious.

“I do not know brother.” Loki pulled a new, fresh shirt over his head, letting it fall down to cover the cut. For now, it seemed as if his brother had never pulled himself through anything like this, Loki just seemed as if he had caught a bit of a fever.

“How come that you… instead of Angrboda?” Thor did not even manage to finish the question, but Loki understood what he meant and stripped out of his trousers.

“I do not know brother.” Loki repeated and seated himself on the bed, slid his legs under the sheets and laid down. He closed his eyes and fell in an instant asleep. Thor looked back to the snake, who had retreated into the corner of the glass cage and was glaring at the two of them. Thor took the chair he had been sitting on hours earlier and sat down again. Not entirely sure of who he ought to watch the most. Loki or Jormungand.

Odin found out about Jormungand the following hours and had burst into Loki’s room when they all had fallen asleep. Odin had taken Jormungand, paying no attention to Loki’s loud protests and screams. He had tossed the serpent into the oceans of Midgar that very day.

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Thor had not been down to Midgar for a very long time, as much as he loved Asgard it would still fail to keep him entertained from time to time. Following Fandral and Volstagg down to Midgard, during their last visit they had found a pub that they would like to show Thor.

The village was close to the coast, built upon cliffs, the waters raging as if there was a storm, but nothing was seen. From time to time, Thor glimpsed scales of green and blue in the water, a tail slamming down to create more waves.

Escaping from Fandral and Volstagg, Thor walked up the cliffs and much like the feeling in his stomach predicted, he found Loki nearby seated on the cliffs and looked out over the water. The view that they now shared, revealed that the green and blue scales were indeed, Jormungand, but much more grande.

“He likes it here.” Loki spoke, as if he had been aware of Thor’s presence for a long time. Thor wondered how often Loki came down to Midgard to see the snake, for as far as he knew Loki never went to visit Hel.

“Next time, I will try it differently.”

Thor raised his eyebrow and looked to his brother, who had not moved a single muscle since he had seen him.

“Next time?” Thor asked, and Thor did not need to see all of Loki’s facial features to know that his brother was grinning.


End file.
